I’m Jennie Sartwell, owner and livestock manager of Hayseed Grazing Co. You may also know me as the executive chef of Little Fish Brewing Company and co-owner of the Village Bakery. As a chef and butcher, the way in which we raise animals has always been a core value of my career. For the past 20+ years, I’ve had the great fortune of having excellent relationships with produce and meat producers, and have learned a lot on the way.

My husband and I bought a distressed farm property in Albany, Ohio in 2020, and have been raising goats, meat rabbits, and poultry ever since. I rotate my herd of 13 Nigerian Dwarf and Kiko goats through six acres of pasture and parts of our woodlot to manage the abundant invasive plant species and have seen quantifiable improvements in soil health, diversity of native plants, and the health of my livestock. Our parasite load is very low and managed on an as-needed basis, and the animals maintain excellent body condition due to their diverse diet and fresh paddocks.

In June of 2025, I was really fortunate to have the opportunity to attend New Cowgirl Camp in Cheney, WA. This camp for women+ is a crash course in holistic grazing management as a path toward addressing soil and animal health and, in turn, climate change. Seeing the possibilities of the grazing operations out there inspired me to offer services in our part of Appalachia.

While targeted grazing in the brittle ecosystem of eastern WA is primarily about fire breaks and soil fertility, it is a versatile practice in any area. In Appalachia, we face our own difficulties with land management - steep hillsides, rock faces, invasive plant species, and the ever-expanding habitat of ticks and the illnesses they spread.

Ruminants are an excellent tool in the kit for managing all of these issues. Contact us today to see how we can help you reach your goals on your land!